Technical Solutions.
Microsoft® BackOffice® Small Business Server

A Package Designed to Meet Small Business Needs

To help small businesses manage the shift from basic peer-to-peer file and printer sharing to the new application-oriented world, Microsoft created a suite of truly-integrated server applications designed exclusively to meet the technology needs of small businesses.

For small businesses that are new to networking and concerned about their return on investment in new technology, there are numerous benefits to choosing a truly integrated server suite, especially when it provides major services at a very affordable price, built to run correctly and efficiently on just a single server.

What Small Business Server Provides

The right applications.

In addition to being built around the acclaimed Microsoft Windows NT Server operating system, BackOffice Small Business Server includes a complete set of applications to address small business needs:

• Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 including Internet Information Server 4.0
• Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5, with Microsoft Outlook 2000*
• Microsoft SQL Server 7.0*, with a 10 GB capacity per database—unlimited number of databases
• Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0*
• Microsoft Fax Service
• Microsoft Modem Sharing Service
• Microsoft FrontPage 98
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0
• Microsoft Outlook Web Access
• Virtual Private Networking via Point-to-Point Tunneling over the Internet
  
  *Applications are optimized to run best on a single BackOffice Small Business Server. You may notice subtle differences from individual applications sold separately or Microsoft BackOffice Server 4.5.

Microsoft Exchange Server and the Microsoft Outlook messaging and collaboration client puts e-mail, scheduling, and contact management on every desktop. Fax Service can eliminate costly and time consuming paper faxing. Microsoft SQL Server supports database-dependent accounting and line-of-business applications, and custom development for unique data-management solutions. Proxy Server provides secure, high-performance Internet access, while Modem Sharing Service makes the most efficient use of modems and phone lines. A small business may not use all of the features in Small Business Server immediately, but having them in place means businesses can expand their technology horizons easily without additional software purchases.

There are two special features of Small Business Server that deserve special attention:  Outlook2000 Web Access and Virtual Private Networking (VPN).  These provide an increasingly important level of remote access to your network.

With Outlook2000 Web Access, your staff can access their in-office email account from virtually anywhere in the world, using a simple internet connection.  Not only can they read their mail, they can use their office scheduling and calendaring, and even send mail directly through the business mail server -- as if they were sitting at their desks!

Virtual Private Networking provides even greater access.  When set up on your Small Business Server network, the small business owner and staff can privately and securely access the entire business network from virtually anywhere, using a simple internet connection, and function as if they were plugged in at the business site itself!

A Meaningful Growth Path

The purchase of a server represents a significant investment for small businesses and they often make tradeoffs if they purchase computer technology instead of capital equipment. Therefore, small companies want to ensure that their investments in technology will maintain their usefulness over time and be flexible enough to grow with the company.

In addition, the Microsoft Exchange Connector for POP3 Mailboxes is available for download. The Microsoft Exchange Connector for POP3 Mailboxes allows Small Business Server users to get all the communication and collaboration benefits of their Exchange server while using a low-cost, dial-up ISP account. With this tool, Small Business Server users can download e-mail from a single ISP-provided POP3 mailbox or from multiple per-user POP3 mailboxes. Simply put, this means it should be possible to integrate most existing email accounts into the Exchange Server framework.

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